Love your patriotism Abu Zolfiqar. Passionate Pakistanis like you are what we need, but could you refrain from terms like 'Bhindia' etc. - its considered derogatory on this forum.
You can ask Kamran (Musulman) about how jazbaaty i can be on certain (sensitive) subjects. For that i do apologize. In retrospect i feel i could have been a bit more mature without using the abuse words.
Be as passionate as you like, just keep it civil. Looking forward to your contributions on the forum.
For sure man.....Inshallah.
Also, what are your impressions about the role the Army played in the Parachinar violence between the Turri and Bangash recently?
The army didnt play much of a role. Most of the army was guarding the Kohat tunnel since taleban wallas wanted to use it to get access to Kurram. The issue is that there was not enough role. Parachinarys were literally slaughtering and kidnapping eachother.
The taleban got some sympathy amongst the Bangash tribe. It got to the point where even firing one round from an AK (on either side) could provoke a HUGE battle. This isnt the first time that this has happened. Back in 2006 there was a war, and dozens were killed. The issue is not just sectarian extremism. Its also about water resources and allocation. Bangash and Turri place strong emphasis on agriculture ---for our own consumption, for export (Afghanistan, Iran etc.) and for sending to rest of Pakistan. It’s business.
We both rely on the Kurram river for our lives. And both sides have in the past fought over water allocations. But since the main difference between us is just a subtle difference in interpretation of Islam –the extremists on both sides have made the differences more pronounced. I used to chastize even our own Turris when they said ‘’Sunnis this’’ and ‘’sunnis that’’......huge lectures. The same way i would lecture a Bangash Sunni not to bring up religion. We are supposed to be united Muslims.
When push comes to shove --- the wars of Kurram were jahhalat in pure powder form. Nothing more nothing less....
The taleban are just opportunists....criminals....they are just a mafia. This isnt about Islam. This is about power vaccuum. For centuries these areas have not been under proper governance.
Decisions made in Islamabad must have more writ in all of FATA (and rest of Pakistan for that matter). Otherwise, we (people seeking unification) lose.
To get today ---Parachinaris are basically happy at any action taken to bring peace and business prospects. This does not go reported in the news, but Pakistani NGOs are actually very impressive. A lot is being done behind the scenes. World Bank is also under-taking lots of new projects.
Me and some members of my family did a presentation in front of members of the Turk chamber of commerce. Basically we are promoting Kurram as a safe place to set up operations and bring in investment to FATA. Much needed investment. Its too early to talk about it now. But i really hope to do my part and make more awareness and help do something. I’m no super-man though. We all need to work hard. We need to pressurize the govt. to stop f---ing around and improve public services ---in all the country.
Another positive step was during the Turk-Afghan-Pakistan Tri-Lateral summit last december.....many many people in Turkish community are interested in FATA. If Kurram can stay secure, its a damn good start. Once the security is there throughout FATA, it can be a win-win situation for all..
a lot of spotlight in the media about the region.......so people are realizing that stability in FATA and Afghanistan means stability in much of the region!!
Was that a result of the Turri acting against the Taliban,
Turri never acted directly against the taleban......But we have our ears wide open and can spot a suspicious foreigner from miles away. People talk a lot.
We usually either take up arms, or we report it to the agents or kurram militia forces or we have people who notify the administration (which then ideally contacts FC or other bodies). During the recent war, it was just villagers armed to the teeth.
Parachinar was just a battleground. Many Iranian arms coming in. Locals so paranoid that Shiia and Sunni pray in different masjids. Total total distrust and jahhalaat.
and the Bangash getting drawn in
the last draw was when they attacked our natural gas lines and electricity supplies.......then the Turris were really angry and fought the Bangash. We took over almost all of upper Kurram and a HUGE chunk of lower kurram. Tit for tat kidnappings etc.
There have been jirgas going on and basically theres a ceasefire. The Kohat tunnel is open so all the medical supplies and equipments are coming in. There’s an uneasy calm –but I think Turri and Bangash realize that taleban are a real danger to our well-being. We see what happens in Bajaur/Swat, Mohmand, Khyber etc. We dont want that crap going on over here.
Bangash are learning from the Salarzai tribe.....they were once #1 helper of taleban, and now the Salarzais are declared enemy of taleban. Salarzai really gave talebans a good ***-kicking on several occasions (as recently as last november i believe)
Inshallah the peace will be longer-lasting. Duw’wa karo bas. The biggest sign of a breakdown of social fabric is when brothers are killing eachother’!!!!
and was the Army initially in support of you, before it turned into a inter-Tribe conflict?
as i said earlier ----- there was hardly any awareness of the fighting until Rehman Malik started bringing it up in the media!!!! Army was busy engaging taleban after failed peace talks. Parachinar was on its own. But I think people across the board realize that Kurram has always been one of the most stable out of FATA. So we must try to keep it that way. Army has always been happy/impressed with Parachinar because many people of the FC and the Army came from our region. My father's cousin is a retired Brigadier General, for example. Cousin is currently a technician for PAF, based in Peshawar. etc. etc.
Bangash and Turris should just start marrying eachother and all this sectarian bullshit should be tossed in garbage. Its poison to our country. Pakistan has enough enemies outside!!!! We must all unite.
We need real leaders who can address these things, my friend
p.s. while we are getting smeared in media ---- always remember that the best friends Pakistan has are China and Turkey.....pay close attention to these 2 countries and lets improve our ties even more than they are already.
